Blueberry Blondies

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Cindy Kerschner

It’s day 2 of Spring Sweets Week! Today I’m sharing my Blueberry Blondies recipe along with links to our fabulous spring sweets week group creations!
Blueberry Blondies take delicate vanilla blondies and swirls in fresh blueberry jam. A taste of spring in every bite!

blueberry blondies

Sometimes I just want a little something sweet. Something easy to make and keeps fresh tasting for days. Blueberry Blondies fit the bill.

blueberry blondies

As a bonus, the extra blueberry refrigerator jam spread on a bagel or toast makes a good breakfast or snack.

Tips for better blondies

  • Layer aluminum foil in both directions to create “handles” to easily lift the blondies from the pan.
  • Resist adding extra jam to the batter. Too much jam will create soggy treats.
  • A splash of lemon brings brightness and enhances flavor to berry jams.

blueberry blondies

Blueberry Blondies

Print Recipe
Servings 12 squares

Ingredients
  

Jam

  • 2 cups fresh blueberries crushed (should equal 1 cupscrushed)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

blondies

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter melted plus 2 tablespoons for greasing pan
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 each egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions
 

jam

  • Stir together crushed blueberries and sugar. Let mixtures tand for about 10 minutes for sugar to absorb liquid. Stir occasionally.
  • Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for1 minute. Continue cooking over reduced heat until reduced to desired consistency (about 30 minutes). Refrigerate or freeze extra jam.

blondie

  • Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with foil in both directions. Allow a few inches tohang off the ends. Brush foil with melted butter or shortening. Set aside.
  • Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Addegg and lemon. Add to dry mixture.
  • Spread dough evenly over bottom of the pan. Dot with jam.Use a knife to swirl into dough. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  • Allow pan to cool about 10 to 15 minutes before removing blondies with foil intact. Lift foil by overlap "handles" and set on rack to finish cooling. Cut cooled blondies into desired sizes.

Wednesday #SpringSweetsWeek Recipes

Want more sweet recipes? Check out Monday’s Sweets Week post! Monday Sweets Week.

Posted in #SpringSweetsWeek, berries, blueberry, breakfast, cake, dessert, egg, fruit, spring, turkey ham, What's For Dinner? | 2 Comments

Lemon Matcha Muffins

Posted on March 24, 2025 by Cindy Kerschner

It’s day one of Spring Sweets Week! This week our sweets loving bloggers group will be sharing some of our favorite sweets recipes!
Thanks go out to Heather from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures for making this event possible!
I’m starting the week off with my Lemon Matcha Muffins. Don’t miss scrolling down past the recipes this week for links to our groups delicous recipe links!
Lemon Matcha Muffins taste like a tea party! Green matcha tea cake-like muffins with a drizzle of lemon. Serve cold, warm or lightly grilled with a pat of butter.

lemon matcha muffins

I’m trying to stay away from milk. Since I had my gallbladder removed, milk doesn’t agree with me. For this recipe, I used lactose free milk but whole milk works just as well.

These muffins bake to a delicate crumb texture yet hold its shape. This makes these muffins easy to cut, butter and pan or griddle brown.

lemon matcha muffins

Matcha and lemon is one of my favorite combinations. Recently I made lemon matcha crinkle cookies for a contest which were a definite hit!

lemon matcha crinkle cookies

Muffin tips

  • Use food grade matcha powder not matcha designed for tea balls or bags.
  • Slightly overfill to about 3/4 full to get a better muffin top.
  • Allow muffins to cool a few minutes in the pan to make easier to remove.

lemon matcha muffins

Matcha Lemon Muffins

Lemon Matcha Muffins

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Servings 6 each

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup butter unsalted, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon matcha powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar.
  • In a medium bowl, add milk, lemon juice, zest, egg and vanilla.
  • Ina separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, matcha and salt.
  • Alternate wet and dry ingredientsuntil mixed.
  • Grease and flour large muffin pan 5 to 6 sections. Fill with 1/2 cup of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Monday #SpringSweetsWeek Recipes

Posted in #SpringSweetsWeek, breakfast, dessert, egg, fruit, lemon, muffin, turkey ham, What's For Dinner? | 6 Comments

Grow more food indoors with Rise Gardens

Posted on March 11, 2025 by Cindy Kerschner

I received a Personal Garden from Rise Gardens to trial and review. I received no further compensation. All opinions are my own.
Imagine a year round indoor garden that can provide healthy eating for the whole family. That’s what is possible with a Rise Gardens home garden.

Photo courtesy of Rise Garden.

It’s been 30 days of growth using my Personal Rise Garden. What started out as seedlings pictured here on day 8 …
has turned into these thriving plants in as little as 30 days!
rise garden day 30
Leafy varieties give you the option of pruning up to 25 percent of the leaves at a time for addition to any meal. I pruned these leaves off the Pai Tsai ditty and used them in a quick stir fry!
rise garden prune
Rise vertical gardens systems grow fresh produce in a small space. These compact hydropanic gardens fit into any home situation.
It comes complete with its own light system, water filtration and nutrients.
The Rise Garden app monitors water levels and controls duration of light depending on your chosen plants. Reminders in the care tab let you know how much and when to add nutrients.



Look at the roots on this pai tsai!

You can also use your Rise Garden as a seed starter. Transplanting plants into soil like these radishes, is also an option.

Many choices are available from Rise Garden for building your indoor garden. Featured here is a personal garden with eight spaces on one level. Family sized gardens can offer up to 40 pounds of produce grown on several vertical levels. You can grow everything from tomatoes to strawberries in these hydroponic towers.
Learn more about Rise Gardens at https://risegardens.com/.

Posted in garden, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, What's For Dinner? | Leave a comment

Lemon Rosemary Champagne Chicken

Posted on March 1, 2025 by Cindy Kerschner

I received a sample meat pack from Crowd Cow in exchange for product reviews. I received no further compensation. All opinions are my own.
Lemon Rosemary Champagne Chicken serves tender roasted chicken bathed in lemon rosemary salt served with a delicate champagne butter sauce.

Whole roasted chicken can seem intimating to prepare. Will it be dry? Will the skin be crispy? What if I overcook it?
Follow these tips to help ensure you get the best results:

  • Bring chicken to room temperature. Thoroughly pat dry inside and out.
  • Loosen skin and season directly on meat with salt and pepper or seasoning rubs inside and out.
    For crispy skin, lightly coat it with oil or melted unsalted butter. Season skin too!
  • Start your roast using high heat. I roast whole chicken at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes per pound. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and/or cover any area you feel is browning too fast.
  • Check internal temperature about 3/4 of the way done to prevent overcooking. Temperature should be at least 165 degrees and juices run clear when fully cooked.
  • Rest cooked chicken 10 to 15 minutes before slicing to allow juices to settle back into meat.


It also helps to start with the right bird.

Farmer Focus chickens are raised using traceable, sustainable and humane methods. Each package contains a QR code that takes you directly to the website where you can enter the farm code found on each package where your chicken was raised.

Learn more about Farmer Focus farming practices at https://www.farmerfocus.com/.
“Our mission is to create an alternative to the current meat commodity system, and to create a meaningful connection between the farmer and the customer, so people can know and appreciate exactly where their food comes from.”
Learn more about Crowd Cow here

Lemon Rosemary Champagne Chicken

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole chicken 3 1/2 to 4 pounds

rub

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice I used Meyer lemons)
  • 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

cavity

  • 2 lemons cut quartered
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 1 sprigs fresh rosemary

gravy

  • tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup diced shallot
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup champagne
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon capers

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken into roasting pan.
  • Mix together lemon juice, salt, pepper, oil and rosemary, Apply rub under skin on meat and over chicken skin.
  • Mix together cavilty ingredients and stuff into chicken cavity. Truss chicken shut.
  • Roast chicken for about 20 minutes per pound until internal breast temperature reaches 165 degrees and temperature between thigh reaches 170 degrees. Residual heat will rise temperature to 180 degrees at thigh. About 1 hour roasting time.
  • While chicken rests prepare gravy. Saute shallots in butter for about 1 minute until translucent. Add chicken stock, lemon juice, champagne, and rosemary. Simmer for about 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat to reduce volume. Stir in cream and capers. Heat thoroughly. Serve.
Posted in chicken, lemon, What's For Dinner? | Leave a comment